Warriors (Fanfic):Moonpaw's Destiny

Chapter 7

Moonrise drowsily stared out of the nursery entrance. Leaftal's kit, Moosekit, looked at the black kittypet with uncertainty. She had been adopted by Leaftail a few moons ago when she was found by the border. 

"When can she play?" he asked Leaftail. He had just recently opened his wide amber eyes.

"When she wakes up," Leaftail replied.

"When will she wake up?"

"When she's ready."

"When will she be ready?"

"When she decides to."

"When will she decide to?" 

Leaftail sighed exasperatedly. "I don't know." 

Moosekit was silent. Moonrise sighed in relief.

"Why don't you know?"

Moonrise leaped out of her nest.

"I'm going for a walk," she told Leaftail quickly.

The silver tabby queen raced out of the forest. The squirming bodies in her stomach made her paws clumsy and her mind buzz.

She sprinted for the CloudClan border. 

Stormclaw was sitting by the river back. Water dripped off his sodden pelt into the water. 

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Stormclaw!" Moonrise hissed. The tom looked up, eyes wide. 

"Moonrise!" he cried, splashing across the river. He nuzzled her cheek and purred loudly.

"Stop it, you old furball! My denmates will get suspicious if I'm all wet!" she meowed affectionately.

"I haven't seen you on any patrols, or a any Gatherings! Where have you been?!" he exclaimed. Moonrise was silent.

Stormclaw seemed to realize her swollen belly for the first time.

"You. . . You moved on?" he mewed, voice cracking painfully.

"No! No, these are your kits, Stormclaw! Our kits," Moonrise looked at him, a river of emotions swimming in her eyes. Stormclaw gaped at her.

"Our. . . kits?" he meowed tentatively. 

"Yes, Stormclaw."

He was silent for a moment. Then his joy burst forth.

"Oh, they'll just love it in CloudClan, you will too, I just know it! I'll tell Birchstar, he'll understand– M-Moonrise? Are you okay?" 

She was looking at him with wide solemn eyes.

"In CloudClan? But, Stormclaw, these kits are DeathClan," she meowed sadly. "They will grow up pure DeathClan. I'm sorry."

"I won't know my own kits?" Stormclaw murmured to himself.

"They cannot grow up without a father, Moonrise. They need me!" he protested.

"They will not grow up without a father. Redfur has agreed to. . ." Moonrise's voice cracked. "To pretend to be their father." 

"But he's not their father. . ." Stormclaw objected feebly.

"Stormclaw, if the Clan were to know they were half-Clan. . ." Moonrise meowed.

". . . they'd be outcasts," Stormclaw finished quietly.

"But, if I joined DeathClan, they'd grow up pure DeathClan, just like you wanted," Stormclaw meowed, regaining his composure.